


♡ Marks the Spot

by n8sk8gr8



Category: Z Nation (TV)
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn, Soulmate AU, light depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 10:39:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n8sk8gr8/pseuds/n8sk8gr8
Summary: Soulmate AU in which any marks on your body shows up on your mates body as well. Marks from your mate often are another color, & begin as bruises no matter the injury. Every case is different, & in some cases even writing will show.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Murphy is aged down in this btw, & I took some creative liberties in Murphy's father. I hope this isn't canon, but it just helped to tell the story.

Tommy was a quiet kid. He grew up mostly just his pa & him, his pa talked for the both of them as well. His pa was a kind man; he could be affectionate, but usually was more stoic.

His pa figured that a strict hand will help his son grow strong. He loved his son dearly, & he wanted only the best for his son. If a little "tough love" is what it took, he would do his best.

Tommy's ma died when he was young; he vaguely remembers her. He can see a faceless woman who gave good hugs, & made him feel safe. His pa took all the pictures down a while after she died, he couldn't handle seeing her yet unable to grasp her.

So yes, Tommy grew up secluded, but he knew how to handle himself. He could fish, rig traps, live off the land, & he knew how to protect himself. His pa taught him all he knew. So what folks thought his pa was paranoid?

 

 

He remembers one time be had asked his pa about soulmates. "How are soulmates connected, pa?"

"Im not sure what makes them connected, but the connection is strong. Do you know what the special thing about soulmates are?" He said, offhandedly. They were fishing, & his pa had a few drinks.

"Not entirely..." Tommy admitted.

"Its the marks. You get a mark on your skin, like when you trip & fall, & it shows up on the other. Get it? Injuries & stuff like that show up, & if the connection is really strong, so does writing." Tommy's pa told him, rambling on.

Tommy sat with his pa & thought about soulmates. He thought of the marks he would find blooming over his skin when he was sure he didn't bump into anything. "How do they show up? Do they look just like your own?"

"Well, it depends honestly. Most of the time injuries show up on the soulmate as bruises, & fade to scars, even if it was a cut. Sometimes they are a different color entirely."

On the way back Tommy tripped & fell on a rock. He busted his knee open, & blood poured over his knee & upper calf. As his father helped him quickly bandage it so they could continue back to their house, he joked "See, that will surely show up!"

 

 

Later that night, Tommy looked again at the greeny looking blotches on his ribs. They showed up a day ago looking deep green, so there was no way they were his own. He dug through his drawer, & pulled out a red pen. Tommy drew a tiny heart near the green splotches, & filled it in red. He sat the pen down, & waited to see if he got a "response."

 

 

It wasn't until the next day that something new showed up. There was a tiny string drawn around the heart he drew, & it attached to a balloon. He grinned so hard his cheeks hurt as he pulled a shirt over his head.

* * *

 

Murphy had known how soulmates worked, & he hated it. He hated that there was someone in the world who had to deal with the same marks he got, mostly from the beatings he got from his father.

He would wince seeing the bruises that would bloom over his own body, wishing that they would fade & fast. He would get angry when he thought of this soulmate of his, waking up horrified at the marks on their body.

He hoped his soulmate wouldn't be angry with him, for being the reason for all the ugly markings over their body. He was just glad they were often hidden by clothes.

 

  
One night, after a particularly painful run in with his father, he took his shirt off to asses the damage. He touched the red & purple bruises with careful fingers. He began to shed his jeans as he thought about the horror his mate is sure to wake up to.

He stops in his tracks when he sees green marks on his knee. He traced around the jagged cuts, curious at the color. His mate got hurt. He felt sadness wash over him, for someone he doesn't even know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More cute fluff. Doodles & smiles ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This accidentally became a slow burn, hope no one minds too much? Its just too cute to pass writing some cute fluff for young Tommy & Murphy!

The young Murphy laid in bed, he kept touching the green bruises over his knee. He felt sad for whoever's injury this was. It must have been a nasty fall, & stung badly. But he also felt....glad in a way. He had a soulmate out there, someone connected to him. Yeah he has seen green marks on him before, but Murphy didn't think much of them. Old fades bruises.

This one though. It was new, no way was it a faded one of his. Besides, cuts dont bruise.

  
When he got up later to use the bathroom he lifted his shirt again. He wanted to make sure nothing was too bad this time.

His eyes immediately caught the small red heart, right beside the bruises over his ribs. It was small & nest, & there was no way he drew it. It had to be from his soulmate,  _a_   _message_.

He returned to his room, dug around for a pen. When he grasped a blue pen he grinned wide. He uncapped it, & pulled his shirt up. He only stopped once the pen was near his skin. What was he supposed to draw?

He figured he should make something that is also a message, like the little heart. He decided on a balloon, keeping his spirits up. One day he will get away from his abusive father, one day....

* * *

 

Tommy got many green marks on his body through his life, starting from when he turned 15, when soul marks start showing. He only needed a couple months to know exactly what all the marks meant, & he was furious. He hated whoever was hurting his soulmate, though he didn't know either of them. He knew it had to be someone hurting his mate, but he didn't know any way he could help.

His first attempt was the small heart he drew, just 3 months after the green bruises started appearing. He didn't want to scare the other person, so he kept it tame. A very small doodle; a heart to show them they weren't alone in this.

Or, thats how he hoped it came across.

 

After that, he was always doodling on his skin. He would draw little stars on his wrists, usually in red ink. Sometimes he doodled stick figures doing little stunts, like skateboarding or getting eaten by sharks. Whenever he had a pen & no pressing matters, he was doodling for his soulmate.

Tommy wanted to be able to distract his soulmate, from whatever was hurting them. He wanted to be able to help, but he didn't even /know them/, so how could he help them?

* * *

 

When the doodles first started showing up all over his arms Murphy got scared. He was scared someone else can mark up his body. But it soon passed, after some deep though.

This person wasn't trying to harm Murphy, they were trying to be funny! Or supportive? Whatever it was, it made him smile.

He often would add little blue stars to the red ones that bloomed across his forearms. He loved the stars that his soulmates left for him, he figured his mate actually knew about stars, telling from the way sometimes they would show _constellations._

He knew his soulmate was smart, & likes the outdoors. He could tell things from the doodles across his skin. Most being little figures doing random tasks, sometimes trees or leaves, stars of course, & more. Murphy thought they were good too, doodles or not.

One day he was curious about the person on the other end of their bond, so he thought of where he could write a message to the other person. He didn't want it too be too obvious, so he figured he would write on his thigh.

He got out his blue pen, & sat down. He wrote out a little ' **What's your name**?'  & waited. For about.....3 minutes. He got nervous, & started pacing. What if they end up not liking him? What if they are disappointed in him? What if-

He was interrupted in his thoughts by the little red letters showing up on his leg.

' **Tommy. What's yours?** '

Murphy smiled so hard & plopped onto his bed. His soulmate, his Tommy. He finally knew their name!

He sat up, & bit the inside of his cheek. ' **Alvin. But people call me Murphy**.' He scribbled out. No one called him Alvin but his father, who was also named Alvin. Everyone calls him Murphy, or he corrects them to.

He's pulls from his thoughts by the red ink showing up on his skin. ' **Im glad to finally know your name, Murphy** ' Tommy wrote, with a tiny star to punctuate.

Murphy smiled wide at that. ' **Me too** ' he wrote back. He then quickly wrote another message, ' **So you like constellations? Stars?** ' he wrote, knowing he already did. But he didn't want to stop talking to Tommy.

They wrote back & forth, covering both tops of their thighs. Murphy took a leap & turned his thigh some, & wrote on the inside, near his knee ' **If you have a phone you can text me: xx-xxx-xxxx** '

He then grabbed his little & outdated flip phone, & waited for a response.

* * *

 

Tommy frowned. He got his soulmates number yes, but he didn't have his own phone. He was 15 yes, but he tragically had no phone. He threw on some pants, & set out to find his pa.

"Hey pa.....can I ask you something? Tommy said, once he found his pa listening to the radio.

"Shoot!" He said, not looking up from the knife he was sharpening.

"Say can I....have a phone? I don't really....get to interact with many people my age up here. A few kids I've met even gave me their numbers so I could keep in contact! But I, ya know...couldn't?" Tommy rushed out. He really really wanted to be able to talk more with Murphy, so what only one other boy had given him his number before?

"Huh. Let me think about it ok? I don't.... trust phones, as you know." His pa said, pausing his work to look at Tommy.

"I know pa, & I'm sorry. I just...it would be handy in emergencies, in case I need to call you here at the house, or if I get in trouble, or if I need to call the paramedics, or-" Tommy rambled, really trying to get his point across.

"Ok son, I get it, yes. It would be handy yes. But they're dangerous, son. Trackers! The government can keep its eye on you that way!" His pa said, getting angry. Not at Tommy of course, but he always was heated when it came to topics like this.

"Oh yes pa, I know. How about....a cheep flip phone? Those arent as....intrusive." Tommy tried, he needed contact with someone besides his pa, the other old rangers, & the rare hikers that would come through. He was homeschooled by his pa, so he never say kids his age unless a family came near their home.

"Tommy, I promise I'll think it over, ok? It's no guarantee... but its not a no at the moment." He said, turning & running a hand down his face.

"Thank you pa!" Tommy exclaimed, & darted back to his room. He shed his jeans, & turned his thigh to write a quick ' **Don't have a phone, working on it though** ' & scribbled the number onto a piece of paper.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry, this isn't a chapter! 

Uhhh honestly I'm debating continuing this? I feel really dissatisfied with the ext chapter that I've written, & thinking abt it just makes me want to give up writing? 

So, sadly I think I will put this on hold? I'll come back to it when my mental state isn't so screwy, if anyone actually liked this? 

I will probably do other writing & post stuff, but this one is just kinda not good for my brain atm. 

Sorry again!!

**Author's Note:**

> I might write more of this if people actually like it? I planned to write this for myself, but I seem to have a tiny following here? Lmk if you want more I guess!


End file.
